


The Whims of Fate

by rubylily



Category: Chrono Trigger
Genre: Gen, Introspection, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27089350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: That fate would see fit to send Magus back to the time of Zeal was nothing more than absurd.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	The Whims of Fate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Siver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siver/gifts).



Fate was a capricious, fleeting thing, and that fate would see fit to send Magus back to the time of Zeal was nothing more than absurd. Not that he had initially known what time period he had been flung to after those interlopers had interfered with this revenge, but as he had traversed the raging blizzard while using his fire magic to keep himself warm, he eventually came across the Skyway, and his suspicions were confirmed.

Whether or not Lavos was the one controlling these "Timegates," as Gaspar had called them, that they had sent Magus here to this time period of all places meant the vile creature's life could now be considered forfeit.

Magus came upon a field of wildflowers and walked toward the edge of the landmass, that blizzard still raging below, and he lowered his hood and inhaled a deep breath. The vivid colors were overwhelming to his eyes so used to darkness, but there was a kind of comforting nostalgia in place like this, almost like a childhood dream.

As long as he played the part of a mysterious prophet, he could accomplish more than revenge. He could save Schala. He could prevent Lavos' premature awakening. He could almost mock himself; after all the misery and destruction he had brought upon Guardia, now he fancied himself a hero?

He touched his worn amulet. The Dark Ages or Antiquity - what this era was called differed between the Earthbound Ones or the so-called Enlightened Ones. As a child, he had once thought this kingdom was beautiful, but then the Mammon Machine had been completed and his mother changed, and he realized the truth; that the magic he desired chained them to that damnable Lavos like a curse. Yet even a curse could be power, and he would turn that power against Lavos.

"Please be careful. It can be dangerous here."

Recognizing that voice, Magus pulled up the hood of his cloak and hid his amulet. Schala came beside him, and he still wasn't used to being taller than her. He tried to avoid her gaze; while he doubted anyone else would recognize him as that magicless boy Janus, his sister had always been rather perceptive, if too trusting.

(But even she never knew of the immense power her brother held.)

Schala touched her own pendant, as she often did when she was worried or uncertain. "But I suppose a place like this can also be rather peaceful to a prophet like yourself."

Magus stared at the wildflowers before him and Schala, petals falling over the edge of the world. As a boy, he had found this field hidden beyond the caverns of Zeal, away from the prying and pitiful eyes of others. "The thoughts of others can be tiring," he said.

"You are… powerful," Schala said after a moment's hesitation. "But your heart…"

"It matters not what you think," Magus said sharply, and it hurt to speak these words to his sister. "I hold all of this kingdom's secrets, the queen's hopes and desires, and she will grant me what I desire."

Schala lowered her gaze toward the dark clouds below. "What more could you desire?"

Magus said nothing. He hadn't lied; as Janus, most had chosen to ignore him, so he had been free to wander the cities of Zeal, simply listening as others pretended he was invisible, and he had learned more secrets than he thought possible. Never did he imagine that someday he would use those secrets to play the role of a prophet.

A sigh slipped from Schala's lips as she walked along the path of flowers. "Do you think this world is truly a paradise?"

"This is the will of Lavos." Magus waved his hand dismissively. "When the Ocean Palace is completed, only glory awaits."

That was a lie, obviously - while he hadn't witnessed the destruction of Zeal, that the kingdom no longer hung in the sky over twelve thousand years later had told him enough. He didn't know all that would transpire in the Ocean Palace, as he had only followed the three Gurus at the end, but as long as he followed the flow of time, he would eventually confront Lavos, and all would be over. He only had to play along with Zeal's lofty desires until then.

Schala froze, her back stiffening. "Are we all just puppets of Lavos?"

Magus clenched his teeth. "Would you dare defy the queen?" Once, he had hoped Schala would do exactly that, but now, if he had any hope of reaching Lavos, she had to cooperate, and once again he could do nothing to help her. Not as the powerless child Janus, nor as the false prophet.

"Mother…" Schala muttered, and her eyes darted in the direction of the Mountain of Woe, whose silhouette was visible beneath the clouds. "Tell me, prophet. What will happen to my mother once the Mammon Machine is moved to the Ocean Palace?"

It was not a pleasant feeling to have his own sister mistrust him, but Magus couldn't blame her either. "She will have all the power she desires, just as I already told her."

"Yes, I remember." Schala bent to touch a blooming flower. "But that does not quite answer my question."

"I do not care if you doubt my powers." Magus stepped closer to Schala, pulling his hood more over his face. "We are all bound to the whims of fate, and to defy that fate is to embrace the solitude of darkness."

"And no one is bound more tightly to fate than a prophet," Schala mused, and as she stood, her eyes fell upon Magus' throat, and belatedly he realized the cord of his amulet was still visible. "That is…"

He quickly turned his back to Schala, silently cursing himself for being so careless. "You should leave now, before the queen grows displeased at your absence."

Schala was still a moment longer, and Magus watched out of the corner of his eye as she left the field of flowers, and soon enough she was out of sight. His fingers curled and flexed, darkness boiling deep within him, and he summoned fire to torch the flowers. The flames spread quickly, consuming all the vivid colors, and nothing was spared, not even a single blade of grass.

He couldn't turn back now. It didn't matter if Schala hated him, as long as she was alive to do so. Everything he had done had led to this moment. No longer was he that weak little boy who had failed his sister. He was stronger now, having trampled over countless lives for the power of darkness. Each sacrifice had brought him closer to revenge.

As the fire raged, he turned on his heel to leave the ruined field of flowers. He touched his chest, feeling Schala's amulet underneath his cloak. With his own hands, he would destroy this false paradise.


End file.
